If your diesel
truck has endured a couple winters or so, you probably know that the cold
weather presents some unique challenges to your vehicle of choice. To reduce
vehicle downtime and ensure your truck
makes it through the season’s lowest temperatures without a hitch, you need to
take certain precautions with your truck. Your Portland dealer of diesel trucks
has prepared for you a checklist of the preventive measures you can use to help
your truck make it to spring without enduring too much wear.
Test Your Batteries
How old is your
battery? Typically, a battery on a diesel truck will last three to five years.
Winter has a way of depleting weak batteries, so to avoid being stranded, test
the health of your batteries or have your trusted mechanic perform it.
Check Your Coolant
If the coolant
fluid freezes, serious damage can occur in your engine, so it’s important to
ensure this doesn’t happen. Diesel engines need a 50/50 mix of water and
antifreeze to protect against freezing. If you’re not sure about the mixture,
drain the fluid and replace it with the correct mix. Better yet, have your
mechanic do it for you.
Use a Winter Additive
Diesel fuel
contains paraffins, which can cause your fuel to harden into a gel-like state
during freezing temperatures. Gelling can clog the fuel system and cause the
engine to shut down. Additionally, water and moisture can accumulate inside
diesel systems during winter, which can freeze and clog the lines. You can take
care of both by treating your fuel tanks with additives that prevent both
paraffin and water related issues.
Inspect Your Tires
Truck owners tend
to overlook their tires during routine winter vehicle maintenance checks. Don’t
make the same mistake. Inspect the treads AND the sidewalls for any signs of
damage. Sidewall damage cannot be repaired, so if you see serious cuts, bubbles
or gashes, replace the tire immediately. As for addressing the weather, your
truck will benefit from snow tires, but the type you need to buy should follow
the conditions you expect to endure.
Replace Your Fuel Filter
The fuel filter
is where freezing commonly occurs in a diesel engine. That’s because of the
minimal amount of diesel that the fuel filter holds when the truck sits
overnight. Although replacing your fuel filter for winter doesn’t guarantee
that you won’t have gelling problems, it does reduce the chances, considering
that you could be replacing a cartridge that’s old and partially clogged
beforehand.
Go over Your Windshield
The windshields
on diesel trucks are built to withstand nature’s harshest elements, but even
the tiniest damage can easily worsen during extremely low temperatures. You
probably already know that windshield cracks occur more often during the
winter. Minor windshield damage can actually be repaired, so be sure to go over
yours thoroughly.
You can have all
these checks done for you by a reliable service center for diesel trucks in Portland,
such as McLoughlin Chevy. Bring your truck in today and have the peace of mind
knowing that your truck can handle the cold temperatures that lie ahead.
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